Survey Finds Public Support For Vouchers

By ETHAN BRONNER

Published: August 26, 1998

Public opposition to taxpayer support for private and religious schooling, which was clear-cut several years ago, is softening, with Americans closely divided on the use of vouchers to pay tuition at private or church-sponsored schools, according to a poll released yesterday.

A small majority of Americans now favor allowing parents to send their children to any public, private or church-related school if government pays all or part of the tuition, the survey found.

The poll, conducted in June by the Gallup Organization for Phi Delta Kappa, a professional association of educators, found that 51 percent favored such support and 45 percent opposed it, a reversal of opinion since 1996, when 43 percent favored it and 54 percent opposed it. In 1997 the results were almost evenly divided, 49 percent in favor and 48 percent opposed. The poll has a margin of sampling error of about four percentage points.

For the first time since the poll began addressing the issue, in 1993, the word ''vouchers'' was introduced into the questions to reflect the growing prominence of the idea of using government-issued notes to pay for tuition at private or church-sponsored schools.

When asked specifically about vouchers to pay for all of the tuition, 48 percent were in favor and 46 percent opposed. When asked about partial tuition, the public supported the idea, 52 percent to 41 percent.

There has been considerable political and legal controversy over the use of vouchers, especially in church-related schools, and the issue may well be headed for the Supreme Court in its coming term.

Civil libertarians and teachers unions, in particular, have opposed the use of vouchers in religious schools, saying it violates the separation of church and state and will deprive the public school system of an essential part.

Proponents of voucher plans say public schools will benefit from the competition, which will also serve inner-city students by offering them schools with higher standards.

The poll also found that divisions between Republican and Democratic lawmakers on education were not reflected among the public, which registers support for nearly all ideas intended to improve schools.

For example, some 86 percent of Americans support President Clinton's proposal to use Federal money to repair and replace older school buildings, and 71 percent favor voluntary national tests in the fourth and eighth grades, ideas that are opposed by many Republicans. Yet 73 percent of the public also backs the Republicans' proposal to provide block grants to states, with the states taking responsibility for some Federal programs.